Certified Peer Support Specialists
Do you feel alone in your mental health journey because no one else understands what you are going through? Are you a parent looking for help with the mental health struggles of your child? Our Peer Support Specialists are available to help, having undergone similar journeys on the path to recovery. Whether you are experiencing PTSD, depression, substance abuse, raising a child with a mental health diagnosis, or other challenges, our Peer Specialists know what you are going through because they have been there themselves.  Â
Certified Peer Specialists and Certified Family Peer Specialists serve as valuable members of our mental health team – addressing feelings of stigma, social isolation, personal loss, and other barriers to mental health. From a perspective of similar significant life experiences, they offer support and hope to individuals by sharing their stories and serving as role models for wellness.Â
CMMHC offers individual as well as family peer services.
Certified Peer Support Specialist
Our Peer Specialists work alongside clients to promote recovery, self-advocacy, personal responsibility, self-sufficiency, and hopefulness – developing natural supports, helping maintain skills, and providing individualized support to individuals. They focus on an individual’s strengths and the idea that recovery is possible one day. This person-centered partnership enables individuals to develop unique recovery goals and helps promote healing as they progress.
Qualifications for Services
You must be 18 or older with a current Comprehensive Evaluation (completed in the last year) indicating a need for peer services. Individuals who have a Prepaid Medical Assistance Program (PMAP), Medical Assistance (MA), or are utilizing CMMHC’s Sliding Fee Discount Program are eligible.Â
At several office locations, these services are available to individuals from Benton, Sherburne, Stearns, and Wright counties. *If you are a resident of Wright county, you may qualify for free CPSS services; learn more.
Certified Family Peer Specialist Services
Family Support Specialists assist families with children experiencing mental health or substance use concerns. Building on family members’ strengths, they help families achieve desired outcomes that promote resiliency, self-advocacy, and the development of natural supports. While the focus is on increasing a child’s ability to function at home, school, and in the community, educating parents and caregivers is also essential – providing information about mental illness and substance use, availability of community resources, and advocating for culturally appropriate services for a child in treatment. Family Support Specialists also assist parents with developing coping and problem-solving skills.
Qualifications for Services
To participate in Family Peer Specialist Services, a child must have a current Comprehensive Evaluation (completed in the last year) indicating a need for peer services. Individuals who have a Prepaid Medical Assistance Program (PMAP), Medical Assistance (MA), or are utilizing CMMHC’s Sliding Fee Discount Program are eligible. A child must also be receiving one of the following services:
- Inpatient hospitalization
- Partial hospitalization
- Residential treatment
- Treatment foster care
- Crisis Services programs
- Children’s Therapeutic Services and Supports (CTSS)
At several office locations, these services are available to individuals from Benton, Sherburne, Stearns, and Wright counties.
Check out our Peer Perspective Newsletter!
This newsletter comes from CMMHC’s Peer Specialists who share their views on healing and recovery and share words of wisdom – hoping to reach those they don’t connect with regularly.
Click HERE to see the most recent newsletter and archive of past publications.
Contact Us for More Info
Phone:
Waite Park Office
320-230-0611
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